


Come Away With Me

by theladylabyrinth



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017) RPF, sprousehart - Fandom
Genre: Caring Cole, F/M, Fluff, Sprousehart, Teen Choice Awards, Whistler - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-13 22:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13579800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theladylabyrinth/pseuds/theladylabyrinth
Summary: Cole can see Lili suffering through her anxiety and the emotional challenge of filming episode 4 of season 2. He sees that an adventure is in order and takes her for a surprise trip to get away, just the two of them to Whistler.





	Come Away With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to @paperlesscrown and @jandjsalmon for beta'ing and encouraging me to write this fic idea! It's my first one, so please be kind! <3

“We can walk it back later. We can and we will.” Lili delivered the line as she wiped a very real tear from her cheek. Cole had been eating lunch at craft services after finishing up his scenes for the day, and he was waiting for Lili to finish up as well so they could head home together. 

However, he had gotten distracted from his sandwich when he heard the broken sound of Lili’s voice as Betty, speaking to KJ as Archie. His heart broke as he watched her swipe at her red-rimmed eyes and tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. When the director finally called “cut” on the scene, she took a deep, shaky breath and KJ gave her a bear hug and said something that made her laugh before walking off to head back to his trailer. Cole smiled a little to see his girlfriend’s spirits lifted, even momentarily. He stayed back for a moment to let her collect herself before walking softly to her and offering a hand to lead her back to her trailer. 

They walked in silence, Cole knowing that Lili would need the time and fresh air to separate herself from the heartbreak her character was experiencing. When they got to her trailer door, he went inside with her and sat on her couch and scrolled instagram while she changed and washed her face, only speaking when she started collecting her things in her bag to go home. 

“Hey Lil, you doing ok?”

“Yeah...Yeah, I am,” she said with a somewhat-forced smile, much less bright than the usual 100-watt grin reserved just for him. “It’s just that this episode has taken so much out of me. I’m just ready to get home and rest ASAP.” 

They still had several days left of filming that episode, so Cole was a little worried. Even the table read had had a few cast members dabbing at their eyes. But he knew that Lili’s anxiety had been worse since the Teen Choice Awards. The time on the red carpet, on stage, and the exposure at the airport as they headed back to Vancouver right away had taken a lot of energy out of her. To be filming this challenging episode right away couldn’t be easy on her, but he hoped that some relaxing and Netflix plus a good night’s sleep would help her get back to herself. 

Cole stayed quiet on the way home and even as they entered their apartment, giving her her space. Lili dropped her things, immediately heading to the bathroom. He heard the bath water start to run and he put the kettle on and got down a mug and a bag of her favorite tea. A half hour later, Lili emerged from the bathroom wearing her favorite white button down that he’d worn at Coachella along with light blue panties that he could just barely see the edges of underneath his shirt. Her hair was in a messy bun and her soft skin was pink and splotchy from the hot water. She smelled of chamomile and lavender. He smiled as he handed her the mug of tea and pulled back the throw on the couch for her to snuggle into him. He had queued up Stranger Things, and as she nestled into his side, she murmured a soft “thank you”. He kissed the top of her head in response and draped his arm over her waist as she sipped the perfectly cooled tea. 

No sooner than she’d finished the mug and set it on the coffee table, he heard her soft breaths even out and he knew she was out for the night. He gently extricated himself from underneath her, and turned to lift her off the couch bridal-style and deposited her into their bed. She had hardly stirred even with all his awkward movements, and he hoped that this deep sleep would help her to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start over. 

Cole had the next day off and he’d spent it at home, doing his best to recover from his own anxiety after the Teen Choice Awards. He took a walk to take a few pictures around Vancouver and played video games, and even called his brother to catch up. 

He had felt a little better that morning since Lili had woken up with a smile and left for work with her usual pep back in her step. She seemed more herself and he hoped her scheduled scenes for the day would be less taxing than yesterday’s. He knew she had a night shoot that evening so he didn’t wait up for her. After hitting a bar down the street with friends, he crashed in their bed and sleep found him quickly, for which he was thankful because he had to be on set bright and early. 

However, his dreams of sleep were crushed a few hours later when he awoke to see that the clock read 4 am. More alarming, however, was the sound of quiet sobbing coming from the living room. 

Cole flung his legs out of bed and padded softly into the living room where he saw his beautiful girlfriend on the patio with the throw from the couch wrapped around her, her small frame shaking slightly as she sobbed and hiccupped into her folded arms. 

Cole knew better than to ask what was wrong. He knew she had had to shoot late into the night and may have only been home for a hour or two. He quietly took his place next to her on the floor of the balcony and asked, “Which scene?”

Lili lifted her head and smeared her sleeve across her eye. He noticed that she hadn’t even bothered to wash off her Betty make up before leaving set - something he had never seen Lili forget to do. After a few moments of silence between them, punctuated only by her breath catching on its way in and out of her body, she whispered, “the bus stop.”

Cole nodded his understanding and wrapped his arm around her shoulder to pull her into his chest. He had seen her rehearse that scene and even then his heart had wrenched at her pain. He knew her acting was phenomenal, but he also knew that the emotions she portrayed on screen came from a very real place inside her, as he was the one who saw the aftermath of every scene, including the most difficult. 

He thought several months back to when they filmed episode one and, more specifically, her scene with KJ where Betty confronted Archie about his feelings for her. Cole and Lili had just begun to get to know each other then, but when he had come across her sobbing in Betty’s pink homecoming dress behind one of the set props, he sat down by her and wordlessly let her sink into him and cry until she was done, and then he walked her back to her trailer, using every quirky joke he had to try and bring a smile back to her face on the way. 

A moist feeling on his chest brought him back to the present, and he realized that Lili’s tears had slowly soaked through the sweatshirt he’d worn to bed. Only when the cool night air hit the wet spot and gave him a chill did he realize that Lili was shivering behind her sobs, and he gently helped her to her feet and into the bathroom to help her get ready for bed. He sat dozing outside the door while she showered, and brushed her hair silently when she came out wearing his t shirt from that day with her favorite sleep pants. She climbed into bed with him and, with a shaky breath, she let sleep consume her instantly. As he watched her face slip into a peaceful expression, he realized that that was the first time he had seen her calm and happy in days. And it was then that he knew he had to do something to take her away from this when it was over. 

The last scene either Lili or Cole had to film for the episode was their scene together at Pop’s. As he sat across from her and spoke his lines, he knew the anguish he saw on Betty’s face was actually Lili’s. She had thrown herself into this episode so passionately, and even as his heart swelled with pride for her incredible talent, it also ached for her. Between takes, his mind wandered to the backseat of his Jeep where his red suitcase sat full of both of their most comfortable clothes to last them the weekend. He had had to sneak it out while Lili was still asleep that morning, and hid it underneath the blue woven blanket he kept in the back. One last time before filming again, his mind ticked through all the reservations he’d made to make sure that everything this weekend would run smoothly and be a balm to Lili’s anxiety. 

A while after filming, he emerged (de-juggified) from his trailer to meet Lili and as he walked toward her across the parking lot where their trailers sat, he was grateful that he’d planned their little surprise getaway. Her feet dragged the ground and her normally glowing face was sunken and marred by heavy bags under her eyes. When she met him he slung her bag off her shoulder and onto his in one fluid motion, and took the brunt of her weight as she sunk into him. He turned them both in the direction of the Jeep, and as he opened her door for her to climb in, she finally spoke in a small, tired voice. 

“Can we please go to Taco Bell for dinner? I really need a soft taco. And one of your famous Baja blast margaritas.” 

Cole smirked sheepishly and responded, “Taco Bell sounds great, but we’ll have to save the margaritas for another time. I may be quite the scoundrel but I don’t drive with open containers in the car.”

Lili’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about? We’re just going home...aren’t we?” 

Cole thought about how to spring the news on her as he put the Jeep in drive and turned around to back out of his parking spot. He hadn’t really gotten to that part in his plans, so he decided to just come out with it. “Well, actually, we’re going to Whistler. You’ve just been so exhausted this week with filming this episode and I thought it seemed like you could use an escape from the Couv for a while. If you don’t feel up to traveling though, I totally understand. I can call and cancel everything, though all I really reserved was the hotel and dinner because I wanted you to be able to deci-“

Cole’s nervous rambling was cut off when Lili choked out a sob next to him. He slammed the brakes on his coast through the parking lot but before he could start apologizing, Lili mustered up the last of her energy to lunge across the gearshift to give him a salty, tearful kiss. She leaned back to her seat and wiped tears from her eyes as she grinned stupidly. 

Cole sat frozen in the driver’s seat with a confused but optimistic smile. “So the vacation was a good idea?” he tried tentatively after a few breaths. 

“Yes, Cole, this is the sweetest, most considerate thing anyone’s ever done for me! Thank you so much, seriously, you have no idea how badly I need to leave Vancouver right now. But we have to stop at the apartment so I can pack - I don’t have anything! I don’t have any clothes or my moisturizer, I-“

Now it was Cole’s turn to cut Lili off with a soft, smiling kiss. “Don’t worry, love. Everything has been taken care of. I promise. Do you trust me?”

“Absolutely,” Lili replied with a smile and one final overjoyed tear. 

“Good.” Cole smirked confidently and took off once again, his destination plugged into Google Maps, and his hand on the thigh of the sweet blonde next to him who drifted off to a peaceful sleep before they hit the interstate.


End file.
